Your messages take up so much storage mainly because of large media files like photos, videos, GIFs, and voice notes saved within conversations, especially in group chats, which accumulate over time and aren't automatically cleared; also, if using Messages in iCloud, these can sync across all your devices, creating larger storage demands. Text-only messages use minimal space, but the embedded media can quickly balloon your storage.
Deleting old text messages can help free up storage and tidy up your smartphone, but don't expect it to solve your device's slowing performance. Unless the text messages you kept contain gigabytes worth of attachments, clearing them out won't lead to palpable improvements.
Step-by-Step Fix
Messages can take up a surprising amount of storage because iOS saves photos, videos, voice notes, GIFs, and other attachments inside message threads, and those files stay cached even after you scroll past them. Group chats and years of media add up fast, especially videos.
Messenger cache on your iPhone (or any device) is basically temporary files and data the app saves locally so everything loads faster and runs more smoothly. Sounds helpful, right? The problem is that, over time, this cache can take up a ton of space and often includes data you don't even need anymore.
Note: Your messages, along with the accompanying photos and other attachments, count toward your iCloud storage.
By default, your photos and videos are stored on your device in their original, high-resolution version. This means that they use a lot of space on your iPhone and iPad. With iCloud Photos, you can make more space available on your device and still have access to your entire full-resolution collection wherever you go.
So download "Android Messages" app from play store. It's Google's app. Open the app > Settings > Advanced > SIM card messages. Check them and delete them.
Both Android and iPhone devices trigger the “Storage Almost Full” alert when your remaining space drops too low for new apps, system updates, or media. The biggest culprits are usually: High-resolution photos and videos (especially 4K or HDR). Large apps and games.
Here's how to do it:
Delete personal files or move them to an external storage device. Personal files such as videos, music, photos, and documents can take up a lot of space on your device.
Delete multiple conversations
Three-finger gestures on iPhone primarily activate accessibility features like VoiceOver (for screen reading and navigation) and Zoom (magnification), allowing scrolling, zooming, and text manipulation (copy/paste/undo) with specific taps and drags, though some text actions work without VoiceOver enabled for quick editing. Common gestures include three-finger double-tap to toggle VoiceOver speech, triple-tap for the screen curtain, and pinching/spreading with three fingers for copy/paste actions, notes this YouTube video.
You can disable Messages in iCloud to effectively stop SMS chats and iMessages from syncing between Apple devices. It's stored only on the device you use and not in the cloud. This means: No Longer Synced: iCloud messages on iPhone, iPad, or Mac will not sync between each device.
According to the "40-80 Rule", lithium-ion batteries, like the ones inside iPhones, work best when they are between 40% and 80% of their capacity. When they are too full or too low, they experience more wear and lose their ability to hold a charge over time.
If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind storing some files online instead of locally, the 128GB model could serve you well. However, if you prefer having quick, offline access to your content and cringe at the thought of relying on the cloud, the 256GB option is more reassuring.
You can make more space available when you delete texts and attachments — like photos, videos, and files — that you don't need anymore.
Activities that use a lot of data
iCloud is a great solution if you want to keep your information backed up on the go. As it uses Wi-Fi to back up data, it's a convenient way to back up. Remember that iCloud backups are for restoring messages to a device. You can't access your messages directly from iCloud.
When you set up iCloud for Messages, your messages are stored in the cloud, with only the most recently accessed Messages stored locally on your device. You can see them on any device that is set up for iCloud and Messages, including your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.